“The beauty of Yoga is that it is both an Art and a Science; the Science evolves to make it more and more precise and then the Art evolves to deepen the whole experience of the process…” meditated Ron Reid last week during his eighth consecutive year visit at Ashtanga Yoga Paris.

Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi Joy are a musical poetry of pure Yoga, not only the Art and Science piece of the puzzle but also a mystical embodiment of Shiva and Shakti. Together, they create a yoga universe of pure creativity, inner consciousness and energetical love.

Studying with both this past week in Paris was a powerful experience.

Marla flows like a butterfly, chanting with a shinning aura, sparkling eyes and glowing skin. A curious soul, she headed to India in 1988 to discover meditation and Vedic philosophy, where she immersed in the Himalayas while deepening her studies on yogic history and philosophy, as well as sanskrit. Marla’s spiritual melodies create a blissful ambiance during her yoga classes.

From the first lineage of Pattabhi Jois, Ron Reid is based in Toronto where his Downward Yoga Center is located. He has been practicing and teaching yoga for over two decades, with an approach to the Ashtanga Vinayasa Yoga system that is not only contagious but fun—real fun. His passion and deep-rooted knowledge on the science of the practice and the body’s anatomy creates a safe environment where students’ needs, capacities and limitations are set on the front line.

“Carolina, breathe deeply, press into your legs, open your chest…that’s it, that’s it, great job…” said Ron, while adjusting my Supta Kurmasana in a way that made my pranic body feel at pure bliss.

More than fifty students crossed borders to study during their eight-day Advanced Teaching Intensive, “Blending Tradition with Innovation.” The ambiance was one of respect and discipline sparked with true light, creativity and caring love. Healthy adjustments, Ashtanga remix, restorative, energetic arm balances, sanskrit, chanting and philosophy, were just some of the Yoga seeds planted in all of our hearts.

Ron is my teacher Linda Munro‘s first yoga teacher and one that continues guiding her way; learning from both Ron and Marla proved the powerful tool of having true yoga teachers.

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About
The Global Yogini

Carolina Daza is a multi-faceted artist and globe-trotter spreading her love for yoga and the arts in a uniquely creative way. She completed her 500HR Ashtanga Yoga teacher training (Yoga Alliance) in Paris with Gérald Disse & Linda Munro at Ashtanga Yoga Paris and has been leading retreats for numerous years.
Carolina has a Master's in Contemporary Arts from the Université Paris VIII and completed a second Master's of Arts at New York University (NYU). While her studies at NYU, she lived at the Bhakti Center prime ashram in the Lower East Side of Manhattan together with her teacher Divya Alter, founder of the Bhagavat Life. Carolina has studied with senior level Ashtanga Yoga teachers such as Chuck Miller, Ron Reid, David Garrigues and Kino MacGregor.
Besides her artistic projects, she is also part of YALACollective.com a worldwide community of creative wellness, organizing Yoga journeys and workshops around the globe. Currently she is based in Medellín, Colombia.

[…] It wasn’t sincere however. I wanted to like it, I really did, but while the potential for raising shakti energy excited me, my passion for the practice ended there. Nothing else about it resonated with me, […]